Corrugated sectional nestable culvert.



G. A. FOSTER. CORRUGATED SEGTIONAL NESTABLE GULVERT.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 8, 1908.

Patented Dec.20,1910.

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LO sections and the retaining plates, whereby.

CHARLES A. FOSTER, OFPORTLAND, OREGON.

. CORRUGATED SECTIONAL NESTAIBLE CULVERT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 20, 1910.

Application filed June 8,;1908. Serial No. 437,214.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES A. FOSTER, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Portland, in the county ofMultnomah, State of Oregon, have invented certain new and useful.Improvements in Corrugated Sectional Nestable Culverts, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of culverts which are formed completeof sheet metal provided with annular corrugations extended throughoutthe entire length of the culvert sections and entirely around them andwhich are also divided into upper and lower semicircular sections toprovide for nesting when being shipped-or handled.

My object is to provide a culvert of this kind in which each section isprovided with uniform rounded corrugations throughout its entire lengthextended circu1nferentially, whereby a series of semicircular sectionsmay be placed in position for use and another series of semicircularsections may be placed on top of them with the ends of the top sectionsarranged adjacent to the central portions of the lower sections tothereby break the joints and increase the strength of the finishedculvert.

A further object is to provide means of simple, durable and inexpensiveconstruction for quickly and easily connecting the upper semicircularsections with the lower ones without the use of bolts, rivets or similarfastening devices so that the connection may be made by simply forcingthe upper sections into position where they 'will be frictionally heldagainst all of the strains to which they are usually subjected when inuse.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combinationof the culvert the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinaftermore fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which: I

Figure 1 shows a side elevation of a culvert formed of anumber ofsections embodying my invention. Fig. 2 shows a transverse, sectionalview of same. Fig. 3 shows a view similar to Fig. 1 illustrating aslight modification. Fig. at shows a transverse, sectional view of same,and Fig. 5 shows a side view of a culvert embodying my invention, one ofthe top semicircularsections being illustrated in position partlyconnected to the retaining lates to illustrate the manner in which thetop semicircularv sections are placed in position. 7

Referring to the accompanying drawings, I have used the referencenumerals 1 and 2 to' indicate the top tions. complete of a single pieceof sheet metal provided with rounded corrugations extended at rightangles to its longitudinal axis, said corrugations being extended fromone end to the other of each section.

In Figs. 1 and 2, the numerals3, 4: and 5 are'used to indicate the lowerculvert sections. They are identical in construction with the upper onesexcept that the lower ones are slightly smaller in diameter than theupper sections. In this connection it is obvious that both the upper andlower sections may, if desired, be made of the same size and then theside edges thereof may be spread or contracted so that the side edges ofone may be admitted between the side edges of the other.

Fixed to each side edge of each lower section is a retaining plateindicated in Figs. 1 and 2 by the numeral 6. These plates are held tothe adjacent culvert section by means of devices such as rivets 7 asillustrated in Fig. 1. Any ordinary means may, if desired, beused forconnecting these plates to the culvert sections. Each plate is pro videdwith corrugations similar in size and shape to the corrugations on theadjacent portions of the culvert sections. The upper edges 'of theplates preferably stand substantially flush with the'upper edges of theculvert section to which they are attached semicircular culvert sec-Each of these sections is formed and said plates have their bodyportions,

slightly spaced apart from the adjacent sides of the culvert sections tothereby permit the admission of'the side edges of upper culvert sectionsinto said spaces between the side edges of the lower culvert sectionsand the said plates.

In the modification illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, I have used'thenumerals 8, 9 and 10 to indicate the upper sections; 11, 12 and 13 toindicate the lower sections and in place of the platesfi, I havemalleable cast plates 14 held to theadjacent culvert sections by meansof fastening devices such as 15. VI preferably provide two or more ofthese plates 14 for each side of the lower culvert sections.

In the modified form illustrated in Fig. 5, I have used the numerals 16,17 and 18 to indicate the upper culvert sections and 19, 20 and 21 thelower sections. Instead of the retaining plates shown in the other formsof my invention 1 have illustrated retaining plates 22 held to the lowersections by means of fastening devices such as rivets 528. Theseretaining plates are each preferably made of a single piece of sheetmetal which is shaped by means of corrugations to conform to the surfaceto which it is attached, and I preferably provide two or more of saidplates for each lower culvert section. Some of the plates illustrated inthis form of the invention are shown to be connected to the lowerculvert sections at the point where the corrugation forms a groove andothers are connected to the lower culvert section atpoints where thecorrugations form ribs but in both cases the plates are made to conformto the surfaces to which they are attached so that a mating upperculvert section may be inserted therein between the plates and the upperedges of the lower sections.

In practical. use, l first lay a number of lower sections in positionadjacent .to each other with the end corrugations of one sec tionoverlapping the end corrugatlons of the adjacent section so that thecompleted lower culvert portion will have corrugations throughout itsentire length equally spaced apart. I then place upper semicircularsections in position on the lower ones, the ends. of each upper sectionbeing. arranged ad acentto the central portions of the lower sections.lVith this means of placing the various sections in position thenecessity for having the corrugations of the lower sections of uniformlength is made apparent as the corrugations in the upper sections mustfit into those of the lower sections throughout their entire length. Byhaving the retaining plates fixed ,to the same section as, for instance,to the lower section, shown in the drawings'a desirable result isattained for this reason. When connecting upper sections'to lower ones Ihave found it desirable to first place one end of the upper section inposition between the plates and body portion of the lower section onboth sides and then the remainder of the upper section may bereadily andeasily forced in position and the ribs and corrugations on both theupper and lower sections will serve as guides to enable the operator toaccurately space the upper sections with relation to the lower sectionsand to each other. Furthermore on account of the fact that in handlingsemicircular sheet nfetal culvert sections they are frequently sprung.or .contractedto such an extent that it would be impracticable in someinstances tofit them together accurately if the entire edges of theupper section were placed in position adjacent to the space between theupper edges of the lower secevents tions and the plates 011 the. lowersections. l therefore have arranged the retaining plates in such amanner that the upper sectious may be placed in position convenientlyand easily by placing one end of each upper section in position firstand then afterward forcing the remainder of the upper section intoposition. In order to accomplish this result successfully and easily itis advantageous to have the retaining plates both placed on the samesection for the reason that, as may be seen in Fig. 5, when an upperplate has only one end placed in position, the corrugations thereof arenot in line with the corrugations of .the lower section and its plates.However if the corrugations of the upper section on both sides are atthe same angle relative to the corrugations of the plates and the lowersection, then the said upper section may be readily and easily tilted tothe position shown in the finished culvert at the left portion of Fig.5.

in the form of my invention illustrated in Figs. 3, 4t. and 5,1 haveshown the retaining plates spaced apart froineach Otllol and also soarranged on the lower sections that they stand spaced apart from theends of the lower sections and also from the central portion of eachlower section. The advantage of this arrangement is that when assemblingculvert sections in the manner illuscent to the central portions of thelower.

sections, I find it advantageous to have the plates spaced: apart bothfrom the ends of the lower sections and also from the central portionsso that where a double thickness of the material occurs as, forinstance, where the ends of the culvert sections overlap, it is notdesirable to have the retaining plates for the reason that it would bediflicult to force two thicknesses of the culvert sections between partsof the retaining-plates and only a single thickness between other parts;in other words if the retaining plates extended the entire length of theculvert sections there would he places where a double thickness ofmaterial would be arranged between the re taining plates and the lowerculvert section and *other places where there would be only onethickness and furthermore at the point where the lower sections overlapeach other at their ends it is not desirable to have the retainingplates for the reason that the retaining plates in themselves would haveto overlap each other thus making-it impossible 'toplace an upperculvert section in position.

I claim as my invention:

1. An improved culvert, comprising upper and lower semi-circularsections, each formed of sheet metal corrugated throughout its lengthalong lines substantially .at right an glesto its longitudinal axis. anumber of'retaining plates fixed to one side of one of said semicircularsections, said plates spaced apart from each other and being firmlyfixed at one end to the adjacent semicircular section and each havingits body portion slightly spaced apart from the adjacent portion of thesection to which it is attached to admit the edge of the othersemicircular section between the plates and the section to which theyare attached.

2. A culvert, comprising a lower semicircular culvert section and anupper semicircular culvert section, each being formed of sheet metal andbeing provided with corrugations throughout its entire length, saidcorrugations being substantially at right angles to the longitudinalaxis thereof, and two retaining plates, one on each side of the lowerculvert section and designed to receive the edges of the upper culvertsection between them and the adjacent surfaces of the lower culvertsection to which they are attached.

3. A culvert, comprising a lower semicircular culvert section and anupper semicircular culvert section, each being formed of sheet metal andbeing provided with corrugations thrt'iughont its entire length, saidcorrugations being substantially atright angles to the longitudinal axisthereof and two retaining plates, one on each side of the lower culvertsection and designed to receive the edges of the upper culvert sectionbe' tweenthem and the adjacent surfaces of the lower culvertsection towhich they are attached, said plates having their inner surfaces shapedto conform to the corrugated surfaces of the lower culvert section towhich they are attached.

4t. A culvert, comprising a number of semicircular lower culvertsections and a number of semicircular upper culvert sections, each.culvert section being provided with corrugations throughout its entirelength of uniform size, said corrugations being extended substantiallyat rightangles to the longitudinal axis thereof so that a number oflower sections may be fitted together end to end and a number of uppersect-ions may be placed thereon with their side edges overlapping theside edges of the lower sections and with their end portions arrangedbetween the end portions of the lower culvert sections upon which theyare placed, and a series of retaining plates fixed to the outer surfacesof the lower culvert sections near'the upper edges thereof, saidretaining plates being corrugated to conform to the surfaces of theculvert to which they are attached and being being slightly spaced aparttherefrom at their upper portions, said. parts being so shaped andarranged that an upper section may be applied to the lower sections byfirst placing the side edges of one end of the upper section between thesaid retaining plates and the upper edges of the lower section and thenforcing the remainder of the upper section downwardly into the spacesbetween the plates and the sides of thelower section un'- til said uppcrsection stands in position sub stantially parallel with the lowersections.

5; A culvert comprising a series of lower semicircular culvert sectionsand a series of upper semicircular culvert sections, each culvertsection being provided with uniform corrugations throughout its entirelength substantially at right angles to its longitudinal axis so thatthe lower sections may be placed together with their ends in overlappingpositions and the upper sections may be placed on the lower sectionswith their ends adjacent to the central portions of the lower sectionsand a number of retaining plates on each side of each lower section,said retaining plates being spaced apart from the ends of the lowersection and also from the central portion of each lower section and saidretaining plates being designed to receive the side edges of the uppersections between them and the adjacent portions of the lower sections. Y

6. A culvert, comprising a series of lower semicircular culvertsectionsand a series of upper semicircular culvert sections,each'cnlvert section being provided with uniform corrugations throughoutits entire length substantially at right angles to its longitudinal axisso that the lower sections may be placed together with their ends inoverlapping positions and the 11 per sections may be placed on the lowersections with their ends adjacent to the central portions of the lowersections, and a number of retaining plates on each side of each lowersection, said retaining plates being spaced apart from the ends of thelower section and also from the, central portion of each lower section,and said retaining plates being designed to receive the side edges ofthe upper sections between them and the adjacent portions of the lowersections, said plates being corrugated to 0011-.

form to the adjacent surfaces of the section to which they are attached.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as NELLE M. Swain, A. B. KINNEY.

my own, I have hereto aflixed my signature v

